The Rurouni Settles
by abstractular
Summary: There are many ways to be forgiven, but none of them are fulfilled until one forgives themselves. This is the story of how Kenshin did. A collection of stories of the atonement Kenshin found in his life after Jinchuu. This week: Kenshin and Kaoru find themselves in the company of Hiko, who has a heart to heart with Ms Kamiya
1. After Jinchuu

The first two nights that Kaoru was home, she cried.

Kenshin heard her, of course. He always did, because he was always awake. His nights would be spent either in the kitchen or outside her bedroom door, which is where he fell asleep most of the time now. He couldn't risk losing her to some unknown monster, not again, not after last time. Especially not after he just got her back.

So he always heard her when she cried. She never tried to be loud with it; of course, because she knew that no matter where she was in the house he would be able to hear her. But that thought never stopped the tears.

"Are you just going to listen to her again?"

Kenshin looked up from his tea cup at Sano as he lumbered in and plopped down next to Kenshin on the walkway outside the kitchen. He stared at the smaller man for a moment before sighing and leaning back on his hands.

"Why don't you go to her?"

Kenshin swallowed the small bit of tea that was unconsciously being held in his mouth before answering, "It would not be proper for this one to go into her room."

Sano blinked at him a few times before bursting into quiet laughter. "Proper?"

Kenshin stared patiently at him until he regained control and shook his head.

"Kenshin," Sano sighed. "That is a young, single girl in there...and she has had three men staying in her house. What part of any of this has been proper?"

With that simple statement, he clapped his friend on the shoulder and stood up to saunter back to the guest room that he had claimed as his. Kenshin sat there for a moment, calmly finishing his tea. It isn't as if he was unaware of what kind of reflection it had on Kaoru in town. It isn't as if he didn't hear what the girls her age gossiped when she walked by, or how they would slyly poke fun at her. He wasn't a fool.

Chewing on the inside of his cheek a moment, it took one final sniffle from her room to make him finally think 'to hell with it.'

He walked across the hall and stood outside her door for a few moments, wondering if he should knock or just walk in. It isn't as if she wasn't aware of his feelings for her at this point, he had made them more than clear the night before Enishi attacked.

'The night before he took her from me.'

His eyes clenched shut and he slid the door open, walking quietly into her room. He knew she heard him even though her back was facing the door. Her hand quickly came up and wiped across her face.

"Yahiko." She breathed out a quiet laugh. "I told you, I'm fine. Really. Go back to sleep."

It was no secret among the house that the young boy would also come check on Kaoru at night. Out of everyone in the house, Kenshin believed that Kaoru's 'passing' affected Yahiko the most…well…second to him. No, maybe even before him.

Without answering her, he knelt next to her futon and lifted her blanket, crawling under it next to her. Her breathing stopped for a moment before he pulled her back against his chest, closing his arms around her and lacing his fingers through hers. He pulled their arms to her chest and nuzzled his nose against her hair softly, touching his forehead to her shoulder.

"It is alright now, Kaoru-dono, that it is." He whispered. "This one is here now, so you may cry as you wish."

She sat quietly breathing for a few moments before she finally started crying again, bringing their entwined hands up to cover her mouth. She folded against him, curling into herself and crying properly for the first time since she stepped off that boat. She sobbed as loudly and as much as her body would have, and she didn't miss the way that her hair got damp from tears behind her.

"It is alright, Kaoru-dono." He repeated. "This one is here."

He said it as much as he needed, not simply for her, but for him. Having another person ripped away from him had gutted him. The fact that it was quite literally his past that had come back and stole her from him made it worse. Another woman he loved ripped away because of the life he foolishly chose at fourteen.

Kenshin buried his face into the crook of her neck and repeated the mantra, pulling her closer to him, holding her tightly against him. Kaoru didn't know how many hours they cried together, but she began to hear the slight change in his voice over the course of the night.

"It's alright now, Kaoru." Then he would nuzzle her shoulder and neck, taking a deep breath before the next words slipped from his lips. "I'm here now."

She turned in his arms, pressing close to him, lifting a hand to brush his hair away. When he looked down at her, she saw gold and finally truly understood why his eyes changed when he fought too hard. It wasn't a snap in his personality. His eyes simply changed when he felt too much emotion for his carefully trained placid temperament to hold back.

Kaoru wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled at him, sniffling her own back. She lifted his hand and brushed her lips across his scarred knuckles, holding his hand to her cheek. They stayed that way for a period of time, just staring at each other and matching their breathing until they both calmed. When dawn broke over the roof of the dojo, they still sat watching each other. Their hands were clasped together, her thumb brushing idly against his pulse.

"Why did it take you so long, Kenshin?" She finally whispered.

He swallowed back his guilt, and drew a long breath. "This one…I…I had thought you died. Enishi had a fake body constructed from many different corpses. The likeness of you was identical. I walked into the dojo and I saw a body that held your face. It had a sword through its chest, and a cross on its cheek. I broke, Kaoru."

He blinked away tears and his brow furrowed as he lifted his fingers to touch her cheek. Flawless as ivory floors. Not a scar ever put there. It flashed in his memory, and he shut his eyes before continuing.

"You can imagine why. To have my past come and take you away from me; another woman I loved, it killed me Kaoru. I couldn't find the strength to even hold the sakabatou. I couldn't protect you with it. I had sworn that I could protect people with that sword and it was worthless to protect you."

She chewed on her lip softly, watching his face as she spoke. Of course she could understand why he would fall apart. She would have done the same in his place, but that didn't change the fact that after they discovered the body wasn't hers, he still didn't come. When she mentioned this to him, he laughed dryly.

"No one had told me that you were alive. I had to figure that one out for myself…well…" Tomoe's smiling face flashed in his mind. "Not completely by myself."

Kaoru's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Tomoe." He breathed out her name, smiling softly. "She came to me. She smiled at me, and told me that there was someone still waiting for my own smile. That's when I knew you were still alive. It was good that she told me, because if one of the others had…I probably would have gone and slit Enishi's throat."

He watched her face to see if she reacted to him saying that. He knew what his eyes must look like; he knew his speech pattern had changed from the bumbling rurouni that had captured her heart. To his pleasure, she simply purse her lips and gave him a scolding look, but lifted her hand to gently brush her fingers over the scar on his cheek. He had to bite back a smile. This woman, this infuriating, stubborn, vulnerable woman was the one to give a scolding look to Battousai the manslayer. It was as if he were a child and she was telling him to play nicely with the other children, because it was rude to talk of slitting their throats.

"Did…" His smile fell. "Did he…did anyone there…did they hurt you, Kaoru."

She shook her head. "Enishi actually protected me from that. That's not to say I didn't occasionally get thrown into a room when they thought I was being out of line. Or trying to escape. But no one hurt me. Not in the ways I'm sure you're wondering."

Kaoru shivered in the autumn morning air and pressed herself against him, tucking her head under his chin as he pulled the blanket around them.

"I don't think he could hurt me because I was so close to Tomoe-san's age. I think anytime he sees a girl my age, all he sees is her. It actually saved my life."

He hummed softly in appreciation and stroked her hair softly. They lay quiet as they heard footsteps outside in the hallway. A small shadow paused outside her door before a gruff voice hissed from the other side of the hall.

"Yahiko, don't you dare. Just go back to sleep."

"Shut up Sano. I can check on her if I want. I'm the one that actually lives here, you know."

"If you so much as open that door, I am going to shove my foot so far up your ass you'll be tasting my toes."

Kaoru covered her mouth to keep from laughing as Kenshin bit his lip.

"Fine." Yahiko sighed outside the door. "Where's Kenshin, I'm hungry."

"He's none of your business." Misao hissed from the room next to Sano's. "I'll make breakfast today."

"You?! You cook worse than Kaoru does!"

"I'll have you know that I'm a culinary genius, you little shit!"

Kenshin burst into laughter, and Kaoru had to muffle her giggles against his chest, but there was no way they couldn't be heard now. Kenshin sensed Yahiko tense outside the door as he heard both their voices before he backed away.

"Uh…Yeah, Misao, show me your culinary skills then, and try not to make food that'll have me puking."

Kaoru rolled her eyes, calling out over Kenshin's shoulder. "I'm so glad that I'm raising such a gentleman, Yahiko!"

He muttered something about ugly girls being demanding as he walked away, and Kenshin shook his head.

"This one should go and start breakfast for everyone. We have more people home than usual."

As he moved to get up, her fingers tightened around his yukata, and he blinked down at her.

"Stay." She smiled sleepily. "Misao-chan can cook, and Aoshi-san's here to help her."

Kenshin nodded, laying back down and slipping his arm around her waist, pulling her close.

"Kenshin?"

"Oro?"

"Could you say it again…please?"

He smiled, resting his cheek against the top of her head before he closed his eyes.

"It is alright, Kaoru. This one is here. This one is not going anywhere."


	2. Kamiya

**Edit: Upon further research and enlightenment, I changed and tweaked a few things to be more historically and culturally accurate.**

They never had a proper engagement, really.

If Kaoru had to place a moment when they became engaged, it would have to be the night before Enishi trashed their dojo. Kenshin had put his arm around her shoulder and told her it was the first time he had ever said he had a home. That was good enough for her, and it was more than good enough for him. When it came to romance, Kenshin wasn't a very showy guy. Years later, he would laugh and tell her that he wasn't even with Tomoe.

So she supposed that they had become engaged then, because there was no moment when he asked her to marry him, or she asked him. They didn't even really have a ceremony wedding either, much to Tae's dismay.

But Kaoru liked it the way it happened. Neither of them were very traditional people, and it felt more special that there was a quiet understanding when he walked into the kitchen that morning.

His cheeks had a pink glow that flourished around his ears and the back of his neck, and he had walked into the kitchen to give her some tea to go with the breakfast that she prepared. He had been teaching her for the past few months anything he knew about cooking, and the truth of it was that she was becoming rather good. Her eyes widened in small shock at his attire. A rather elegant white gi fell fittingly against his frame and contrasted with the dark blue hakama that warmed his legs. He sat himself across from her and smiled lightly.

Kaoru, in return and understanding, looked out to the trees that fell over the fence of her house and grinned at the sakura that had begun to bloom on the branches. It was mid-March, and one year ago she had stumbled upon the rurouni and took him to be…well…himself, only she hadn't known it then.

She sipped her tea and couldn't keep the smile from her face. "Should we go to the city office after I get dressed, then?"

The tension released from his shoulders, and he smiled at her, lifting his own tea to his lips. "Whenever you prefer, Kaoru-dono."

To say that she behaved calmly in response would be a total lie. She set her tea down calmly, and then she ran out of the kitchen, with no reply except an exclamation of pain as her shoulder slammed in to the doorway. She heard Kenshin laughing from the kitchen as she tore through her wardrobe, trying to find a kimono that was elegant enough to be worn on her wedding day. The dojo hadn't gotten quite on its feet the way that she had hope, but Yahiko's stunt outside the Akabeko last year had young boys asking what dojo he was from. This got her five new students, aging from seven to fourteen years old.

She finally found a kimono that was dark blue in color and had butterflies of white and black printed along it. Biting her lip, she grinned and pulled it out, searching for a ribbon to match, and settling on one that was a deep violet color. She dressed as quickly as she could, smoothing the fabric along her frame and checking her appearance in the mirror several times. Finally, taking a deep breath, she pinched her cheeks a few times to give them some color before walking out to greet him in the kitchen.

Kenshin's eyes wandered over her before a true smile burst on his face. She fiddled with the sleeves nervously under his gaze, smiling herself.

"Is it alright?"

"You look beautiful, Kaoru."

They had left minutes later, walking down the street together, and they felt themselves becoming awkward teenagers all over again. Kaoru would sneak glances at him while pretending to admire the nature blooming on the streets. She always found him staring at her, and when he got caught, he chuckled awkwardly and looked away.

"Did you and Tomoe-san ever go to a city office?" She finally asked.

His smile turned sad, but still humorous, and he reached for her hand, slipping his fingers through hers. He was endlessly amazed at how kindly she spoke of Tomoe, especially when he knew it must sting her heart a bit to know that he loved another first. But he found no malice or jealousy in her face, simply amused curiosity. Kenshin loved her evermore for that, he enjoyed watching her grow before his very eyes, and it was his pleasure to be a hand to steady her as she made her way through life.

"No," He finally answered. "In that time still, this one and Tomoe would have had to give papers to prove they were of the same social class to wed. We lived in a small village where such legalities did not matter as much. It was more of a…we said we married, so we were married, that it was."

Kaoru's smile turned wistful. "My mother and father had a proper ceremony. She told me that she woke so early that morning to get into her kimono and her sister and mother had to help her. Then she and my father stood still the next day for a portrait that my grandfather did."

"Another doodle?" He innocently inquired, and laughed when Kaoru smacked his chest with a rueful grin.

"No, you jerk." She laughed. "He painted rather well, actually."

They passed the time in idle chatter about nonsense, and when the made it to the city office, she was surprised to see Yahiko, Tsubame, and Tae there. Yahiko grinned at her, and Tae was already getting sniffly, and she realized that Kenshin must have woken so early that morning to go to the row house where Yahiko stayed and gather him for the day. It warmed her heart and she almost started tearing up to see him there herself, but she couldn't let the brat know that, it would ruin their relationship.

"Yahiko," She grinned, raising a bow. "You showered. I'm shocked."

He grinned back at her and shrugged. "If you can manage to not be ugly for a day, then I can manage to bathe."

She laughed, and the room got a bit brighter. She and Kenshin walked up to the official's desk, where the papers were presented. When they signed their names, she smiled at him and could barely stop herself from sitting still in the seat, until she saw the name he signed.

"Kamiya?"

He set down the pen and the side of his lips quirked up, crinkling the scar on his cheek.

"From this day, forever more, I am Kamiya Kenshin."

It wasn't that she wasn't thoroughly pleased by this information. But most men wouldn't be willing to give up their family name for the sake of their wives. So when she questioned him, his answer actually did bring tears to her eyes.

"Your family has no sons, Kaoru-dono, that it does not. This one came from a poor farming family, and this one is all that is left. Your family name means more. This way, your family can keep the dojo as a Kamiya residence. Also, it would be a weight off this one's shoulders to put the name Himura Battousai to rest for good, that it would."

He lifted her hand and placed it against his cheek, the puckered skin of the scar pressing against the palm of her hand.

"There is no Himura Battousai. There is only Kamiya Kenshin now, that there is."

As the official organized things to add her new husband to her family line, Kaoru's arms came around his shoulders, and she held him tightly, pressing her cheek to his. He slipped his arms around her middle and held her tightly, smiling softly against the silk of her kimono.

"Thank you." She whispered, and taking a deep breath, the words that had been spoken many times in silence were brushed against his ear.

He responded in kind, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair that brushed against the obi knotted at her back. When they pulled away, she touched her forehead to his, holding his face, smiling in a way that warmed his entire body.


	3. Scars and Stories

Normally, Kaoru and mornings did not get along. She was the kind of girl who would growl at the sun peeking through the window, and would pull the blanket over her head to get few more precious moments of sleep.

The first morning she spent as a married woman was not the case.

She woke that morning feeling blissfully sore and smiling at the warm sunbeam that coated her through the open shoji door. She stretched and for a fraction of a moment was unhappy to find her new husband not lying next to her, until her fingers hit the softness of flower petals. Sitting up, she pulled the blanket up to her chest and looked next to her to see a cherry blossom on the pillow of Kenshin's neatly made half of the bed. She grinned when she smelt breakfast and heard the faint noises of cooking wear being used in the kitchen.

Stumbling to her feet, Kaoru haphazardly put on a yukata before following her nose to where the best part of the morning was. She grinned as she leaned against the doorway of the kitchen, watching him work for a few moments.

Kenshin looked the same as he did any morning, saved for a few slight differences. Firstly, he was not anymore dressed than she was. Secondly, the breakfast he was making was far less elaborate than other times. Thirdly, and most importantly to Kaoru, he was humming. She almost didn't catch it at first, it was so low. But when he turned to reach for a bowl of rice and put it on the try, she saw a serene smile on his face and heard the soft notes coming from his throat.

She crept forward, knowing full well that he probably already knew she was there. That was actually probably why he wore the smile in the first place. Her arms wrapped around his middle, and she pressed her cheek between his shoulders. She felt him sigh, and his calloused fingers came up over hers to loosen her hold slightly so he could turn and face her.

Kaoru grinned up at him, and laughed at the faint blush that appeared. He smiled nervously and tilted his head back to the counter.

"Breakfast?"

She nodded and helped him carry the trays back into their bedroom, because if he thought he was spending any time doing chores today then he was sorely mistaken. He didn't object when she started to walk out of the kitchen with them, so she assumed that he had the same thought as her in mind.

They ate their breakfast in bed, and Kaoru honestly believed she had never felt happier in her life. Kenshin spoke in gentle tones, and felt comfortable enough to stop saying This One in private with her. Kaoru was pleased that he finally was able to open up a bit more of his past for her to look at. He never shunned her questions.

"How old were you when Hiko-san found you?"

"Seven."

Her eyes widened slightly and her chopsticks paused in her mouth. "Only seven?"

"My parents had died from cholera earlier that year." Kenshin continued eating as if this story brought him no pain to tell. "Slave drivers found me and took me, and for a day while we traveled, three women looked after me. We were attacked in the night, and everyone was killed. Shishou came in time to save me."

At the expression on her face, he laughed kindly. "I was very young, love. I hardly remember it."

Kaoru took a sip of tea before continuing. "Do you remember anything of your parents?"

He thought for a moment, his mouth quirking to the side a bit as his brow furrowed. She bit back her smile as she watched his eyes move as if searching the catalogs of his brain.

"I remember," He sighed softly. "My father was a hard man. I think he was, anyway. I remember my mother had my hair, or rather, I had hers."

Kaoru set her empty bowl on the tray next to the futon and laid back, curling her arm under her head. Kenshin followed, lying on his side to face her as he took her hand, idly playing with her fingers.

"Did you always live here?" He asked softly.

Kaoru smiled and shook her head. "We only move here when my father had collected enough money from his part in the war. He was finally able to buy this place. I was about eight when we moved here. I'm originally from Chiba."

She never realized that she hadn't told him much of her past either. For what seemed hours that morning, they shared secrets. Some were even the most ridiculous things, like asking what their favorite colors were, or what hidden talents they had. Kaoru had to wipe her tears away from laughter when Kenshin showed her he could balance a bowl on his nose. Once it fell to the floor, he smiled at her as she held her sides against the futon.

"I can't believe you can actually do that!"

"I am very proud of that talent, that I am!"

Kenshin's smile grew wider when her laughter filled the room again. In all his life, he never thought that he would be a person to make someone laugh as much as he made Kaoru laugh that morning. When she finally collected herself and sighed, a few giggles still escaped her. He fell next to her and pulled the blanket up over them, slipping his arm around her waist to pull her close to him. She smiled brilliantly at him and brushed her fingers against his cheek, tracing the scar.

"In all your life," she mumbled. "Did you ever think you would wake to have a morning like this?"

He held her palm against his cheek, pressing his forehead to hers. "For a long time in my life…I was not sure that I would live to see a morning like this."

Kaoru's smile fell, and she closed the gap between them, kissing him softly as she whispered against his lips that she was glad he did. He rolled to his back, pulling her onto him, kissing her with all the reserve of a man who hadn't allowed himself to feel anything like this for eleven years. Her fingers tugged at the tie in his hair, pulling it free. She sat up and when he tried to follow, she shook her head and pushed his shoulder to have him lay back. Her fingers tugged at the tie around his waist until she could set his body free from the yukata.

Tossing it to the side, Kaoru leaned forward and kissed him again, her tongue darting out against his lips. Her fingers traced along all the scars that coated his chest, and her lips followed them. That began a new game for them, one that had hushed voices and gasping whimpers as lips and tongue danced along skin.

"Where is this from?" She would mumble against the puckered skin of whatever scar currently had her attention. He would answer softly, his voice rough, and his fingers brushing against whatever bit of her skin he could reach. Then she would kiss the scar, making sure that she gave it the attention it deserved, until he wouldn't remember anything but that being a place her kisses went.

When she came to a large burn scar on the side of his torso, she didn't have to ask where it was from. She sat over him, straddling his waist, and her fingers brushed lightly over it. She knew he probably didn't feel her touch there. She knew that battle with Shishio had taken so much from him, that the nerves in that scar were probably dead.

Kaoru bit her lip, and Kenshin's hand came up to brush away the tear that she hadn't realized escaped her. Her eyes caught his again and he sat up, leaning his weight against his arm behind him. He guided her face to his and pressed a lingering kiss against her lips.

"I came home, Kaoru."

She nodded and kissed him again, yielding when he pushed her to lay back. She had repeated the same sentence to him when he was moving over her, his lips brushing over her cheek repeatedly, his hands at her waist where she was still gaining back all the weight she lost when she was on the island. Between gasps of pleasure, her fingers had tangled in his hair and she brushed her lips over his shoulder.

"I came home, Kenshin."

Her fingers traced the scars on his back, and even ones that reached his thighs. It almost seemed a game of hide and seek; only the hider did a horrible job at their part. There were scars all over his body, and she knew that most of them had to come from his years of wandering or the battles he had in the past year. That was the last thought she had before he made sure all thought and reason escaped her mind.

It was late at night when she lay satisfied next to him, his fingers tracing lazy patterns along her back as he held her close. Kaoru lifted her head and pressed a kiss to his chin, tracing her lips up over his cheek.

He smiled at her, his eyes already halfway to sleep.

"Your scars seem a bit lighter now." She smiled.

His eyes, dark and happy, traced over her body. Kenshin pulled the blanket higher up over her shoulders as the light spring air danced through the room.

He smiled, genuine and peaceful, as he kissed her ear and whispered against it.

"So do yours."


	4. Joys and Baskets

"Are you sure?"

Megumi smiled at the young woman, putting her medical kit back inside her bag. She patted Kaoru's belly.

"Quite sure."

Kaoru bit her lip and sat up, laying a hand against her abdomen. Among the very many emotions that were swirling inside of her, it was hard to pick out one that she could feel so completely. Megumi had told very many women this news over the years, and Kaoru still remained a surprise to her in her response.

"Well…I suppose this means I can stop doing the double exercises."

"You've been doing twice your regular exercises?" Megumi raised a brow.

Kaoru flushed and shrugged, rising to her feet so she could pace the floor with this new information.

"My kimonos weren't fitting anymore! I thought I was just getting fat!" She pointed a finger at Megumi accusingly. "You were the one that always said I ate like a pig!"

The doctor rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "Kaoru…I was being snide. You're supposed to eat as much as you do. You're a kendo instructor, you need the energy. Although now, I'm going to order you to stop the double exercises, and start teaching Yahiko how to handle instructing classes on his own."

Kaoru stopped her pacing and raised a brow at her, huffing out a laugh. "You want me to stop teaching?"

Megumi stood, being naturally taller than Kaoru. She needed her height as leverage at this point, because Kaoru was as stubborn as a mule and would have to be fought on this notion. Megumi had known it from the way she stared at her like she had grown a second head.

"Kaoru, you listen to me as your friend and more importantly as your doctor. You are pregnant now. You cannot be getting into sparring matches with your students. If you feel you must be there, then you can sit at the head of the room and watch, but you cannot demonstrate. That is what Yahiko is there for."

"But," Kaoru sighed and then threw up her hands. "You're right. Of course you're right."

Megumi smiled and nodded. "Of course I'm right, I'm me, I'm always right."

"Megumi?"

"Yes?"

"…How do I tell Kenshin?"

Laughing, Megumi threw her hair over her shoulder and picked up her bag. She patted Kaoru's shoulder as she stepped down into her sandals and made her way across the courtyard. Kaoru frowned at her back as she laughingly said she was going to visit Yahiko and she'd be back later.

Wonderful, she left Kaoru to worry how to tell Kenshin on her own.

Sitting on the walkway, she leaned against one of the wood pillars and put a hand over her belly. She should have known the illness she had before was a baby. She had written to Megumi to come when she had gone two months without bleeding. She wanted to be sure it wasn't some new illness that might be blooming. Megumi's written reply even made her feel like she was stupid. Like the woman was laughing in her handwriting. She should have known it was a baby.

Worrying her lip, she wondered how she would tell Kenshin. It wasn't as if she thought he would be unhappy with the news, of course not, he would be ecstatic. He loved children, he always has. They never spoke of having children of their own, but she believed it was just assumed that they would. It was the thing to do. But she had heard from Tae that women would tell their husbands in clever ways, and Kaoru wasn't sure she even knew how to do that.

Standing, she made her way to the bedroom. If she was going to worry over this, then she was going to be productive while she worried. An hour later had her changed into her gi and hakama, and she was scrubbing the dojo floors. She kept sneaking glances up at the names on the wall. She had gained a few more students, so they had a bit more money to pad their funds. Kenshin had even started a short apprenticeship at the local carpenter's shop. She grinned when she remembered how excited he was when he told her.

"He said I would already be ahead than I would normally, because of my skills with a blade. I should be able to bring in some money within a year or two, that I should. So if something ever needs to be repaired in the house, let me know. I will need the practice, that I will."

He was so happy to be able to use his hands and body to bring joy to others. He told her one night in bed that he would be able to rebuild broken houses, and make new shops to give people space to make new lives for themselves if they need it. He had kissed her hand and smiled at her, asking that she support him as he tried to use his skills in a different way to help others. She was all too willing to agree to that.

He would be happy to have a baby. It wasn't as if they didn't have the room. Though, they didn't exactly have a place for the baby to sleep. Wealthy people had begun to use cradles, and if the stunts with the fake Battousai hadn't happened, she might've had enough money to get one. There were always the baskets that were used, and Kaoru's old baby basket was in the storage house…which was ruined when Enishi attacked. Wonderful. That guy had really done a number on the house.

Kaoru was so busy making a list in her head of all the things they would need to prepare for a baby, that she didn't hear Kenshin come in until he laughed.

"If you keep scrubbing that hard, love, you will wear a hole in the floor."

She blinked down and realized that she had been washing the same spot on the floor for fifteen minutes. Kenshin walked over to her, taking the rag out of her hand and setting it in the bucket. He looked happy, if not a bit sunburnt from working outside.

"Long day?" She asked. He sat, plopped is more like, next to her and leaned back on his arms. Kaoru grinned at him and noted that the palms of his hands were a bit red and lined from gripping hammers and saws.

"Sawing things is quite different from cutting them. I have never had to saw something before. I feel as if my whole arm will drop from the socket at any moment." He laughed, lying back against the floor.

This summer was unusually hot, and it showed in the way his hair stuck to the back of his neck. He had been talking of cutting it for the past two seasons, and she had been prolonging the inevitable. She liked running her fingers through his hair, and worried that if he cut it then she wouldn't be able to any longer.

He took her hand and squeezed her fingers lightly, blinking at her. "Did Megumi-dono make it here today?"

"She did," Kaoru nodded.

Kenshin sat up, his violet eyes taking a concerned gaze. "Did she say what ailed you before?"

"She did."

Kaoru stood, dropping his hand, and walked to the front of the room, looking at all the shinai on the rack. Other women just said it; perhaps she should just say it. He hadn't stood up with her yet, but she felt him watching her. He was waiting for her to say what was wrong. If she didn't say something soon then he was going to fret that she was dying or something ridiculous like that.

"Kenshin?"

"…Yes?"

"How good are you at making baskets?"

He blinked at her. "Oro? Baskets?" His hand went to the back of his head, scratching under the knot of his hair as he thought. His parents had been farmers, but he hardly remembered his life with them. Hiko used to have him weave baskets to put his new pottery in. When he lived with Tomoe, she would make the baskets for their apothecary herbs. He would watch her sometimes though, when they sat in silence during the nights.

"I suppose I am not horrible at them," He finally replied. "It would need practice."

Kaoru took a breath through the knot in her stomach and turned to face him, her cheeks hazed with a blush.

"You should probably start to practice then, because we're going to need one large enough for a baby to sleep in and we're going to need it in about six months."

She nearly burst into laughter at his reaction. She watched him blink twice, and then realization passed over his face as quickly as the color left it.

"Kaoru…are you?"

She nodded.

"And we are…"

She nodded again.

"This one will be a…"

Another nod.

"In…six months…."

"Yes, Kenshin!" She snapped.

Her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides. _Stand up_, she thought. _Say something, do something, don't just sit there with that shocked look on your face_. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe he did love children, but he didn't want any of his own. Maybe she had only assumed that it was understood they would have children. What did he honestly think was going to happen though? They spent most nights of the week naked, it wasn't as if a baby wasn't going to come from that eventually and-

Her thoughts stopped in a whirl as she saw tears fall down his cheeks.

"Kenshin?"

He blinked, seeming to remember himself, and stood. His arms came around her and pulled her to him so powerfully that she was lifted off her feet. When he spoke in her ear, she heard his voice crack.

"This is…the most wonderful thing."

Her arms came around him and her fingers tangled in the back of his gi. Relaxing in his hold, she laid her cheek against his shoulder, smiling.

"You're not upset, then?"

"Upset?" He pulled away and stared at her, wiping his eyes. "Why on earth would I be upset?"

"I don't know Kenshin! You're the one that sat there with a blank look on your face for thirty seconds!"

He laughed, and it was rich and deep and the sound danced around her head and made her break into her own smile. She smacked his shoulder, and he laughed harder as he winced.

"You took me by surprise, Kaoru!" His face split into a large grin. "Love…I never thought I would ever have children. I suppose a part of me still believed it. It is one of those things that are hard to imagine until it actually happens."

Kaoru nodded in understanding. "Well believe it, because it's happening. Pretty soon I'm going to be too fat to fit into any of my yukata."

His arms folded around her and lifted her off the ground, and she squeaked as he spun her around the dojo floor.

"You can wear mine, then." He laughed.

It was such a glorious sound, and she couldn't help but laugh with him. The house wouldn't be so empty, and their days wouldn't be so quiet anymore. She never told him, but she had missed the noise of their odd little family. She was glad that it would be around again. The greatest joy, however, was giving Kenshin things he never believed he would have.


	5. Plans and Hopes

The sun was setting just beyond the trees, putting the sky aflame in brilliant gold, pinks, and purples. Kaoru admired it out the open window as she idly slipped her fingers through Kenshin's hair. His head rested on her belly, his cheek nuzzling her bare skin as his calloused fingers drew patterns along her hip.

It was a peaceful ending to a happy day. They had told their friends that they were going to have a baby, and everyone had been so ecstatic for them. Yahiko had seemed even happier to hear he'd have to take over lessons himself in a few months, which annoyed Kaoru, so she told him his training would be ten times harder now. Little brat should suck on that for a while. Tae had begun crying when they told her, and she pulled Kenshin into a bone crushing hug and said that it was about time. Tsubame kept bouncing on her toes and lightly talking about things that she could make for the baby.

They lamented that Sano wasn't with them to share the joy of it all. Kaoru sighed softly, blinking at the twilight. Sano did say that he expected a few kids before he returned, so maybe he was simply waiting for there to be more than one.

_Oh heaven_, Kaoru's breathing stilled. _What if it's twins? Oh heaven I can't handle that. I can't handle twins. We'd never get any sleep_.

"Kaoru?" Kenshin's voice vibrated against her skin when her hand stilled in his hair.

"I was just…" She worried her lip. "What if it's twins?"

He laughed. "Oh. Do not worry, love, I do not think it is. I have seen women who were carrying twins before, and you would be much rounder than you are, were that the case, that you would."

Kaoru's fingers continued to sift through his hair as she relaxed. She had forgotten that Kenshin must've seen so many things during his travels; she wouldn't have been surprised if he had delivered a baby or two in his time.

She shivered as his lips brushed over her belly, and felt them curve into a smile.

"I feel silly for not having noticed it before."

She blinked down at him. "You really didn't notice that I had gotten…well…rounder?"

He shook his head against her, and closed his eyes. His hands smoothed over her belly, obviously trying to find the child that couldn't quite soundly show his presence yet. A smile came over Kaoru's face, and she set her hands over his, lacing their fingers.

"Spend the nights with your head on my belly; he's going to end up kicking you."

Kenshin rested his chin above her navel, blinking up at her. "Oro? He?"

She nodded, smoothing their entwined fingers over her belly. "There's a boy in there. I just know it."

He smiled, and when he spoke again, it made her throat tight with emotion. She felt his lips whisper against her smooth skin as he slipped his arms under her, holding her tightly.

"Whoever is in there, they will be greatly loved."

Kaoru bit her lip. The way his voice sounded…it held the same tones as when he spoke at Tomoe's grave, or when he met her father for the first time, or how he sounded when he spoke of the good of people and hope for life to come.

He spoke, and it was both a prayer and a promise. This child would be loved fully, and absolutely, and they would know it every day of their life.

Kaoru's fingers slipped against his cheeks, and she guided his face to look up at her. He moved up her body, touching his forehead to hers, nuzzling his nose against hers.

"They won't live like we did, will they?" She questioned softly. "They'll always have their parents. They'll always have us."

Kenshin nodded, and kissed her softly. "They will not have the life I led, that they won't."

Kaoru shook her head, smiling softly. Her arms came around his shoulders and she kissed him, slowly, lingering. Her tongue slipped past his lips and stroked lazily against the roof of his mouth. He sighed against her lips, and his arms tightened around her, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair.

"We'll teach them Kamiya Kasshin," she mumbled as his lips trailed down her neck, and he nodded against her chin. "We'll teach them to respect life, and that swords can be used to protect people."

"We will teach them many things." His tongue darted against her pulse, and she shivered under him.

"I hope they have your eyes." She slipped her fingers down the dip of his back, and he laid over her. "I hope they have your kind heart."

Kenshin smoothed his lips over her shoulder. "I hope they have your smile, and your strength."

Kaoru laughed, tucking her head to brush her lips over his ear.

"We should go to Kyoto, to tell Misao and all of the Aoiya the news. I can't wait to see her face."

He laughed against her shoulder, nodding until the next words came out of her mouth and he froze.

"We should tell Hiko-san too."

"What?!"

Kaoru burst out laughing. The only time Kenshin ever sounded the least like himself was when he was talking to, or referencing, his master. She could have sworn she could see him becoming a fifteen year old all over again. He rolled off of her, onto his side and groaned.

"Why?" He whined. He literally whined. Her husband, Kamiya Kenshin, the man who was once the great feared Battousai, whined like a child at the thought of seeing his master.

"Kenshin," She sat herself up on her arms. "He's your master. He's the closest thing you've ever had to a father. Don't you think he'd like to know that you're going to be a father yourself?"

He sighed. "I suppose…fine."

Kaoru laughed, and rolled over him. "We should make a vacation of it. I would like to see some of the villages you've travelled to in your time."

Kenshin thought for a moment, smoothing his fingers through her hair. Not all of the villages he had been to would be particularly happy to see him again. He had escaped arrest in more than a few of them. Though some, he had managed to help a bit. He watched Kaoru for a moment, seeing the hope in her eyes that he might share part of his past with her. That he might show her places he'd been, and possibly meet some people he'd helped.

"We will make preparations tomorrow then," he smiled at her, "to have Yahiko manage the dojo while we are gone. I will have to tell Nishikawa-san that I will not be attending the shop for a week or two."

"I'm sure he'll understand." Kaoru grinned, kissing his chin. "He likes you very much, and he has five children of his own."

Her head rested against his chest, and he held her tightly. Seeing his master again wasn't something that he was particularly looking forward to, but he had to admit part of the snide teenager that lived in his memory wanted to see what his reaction would be. He'd probably say something snide, and make it sound like a joke. Then again, he might actually be kind about it. Kenshin's nose wrinkled. No, no he wouldn't. He wouldn't be kind about it.

Kaoru's weight on his chest told him that she had already fallen asleep. The excitement of the day had taken a lot out of her, however happy she was.

His eyes traveled to the beginnings of his first attempt at basket weaving that was sitting in the corner of the room. _It doesn't matter what Shishou thinks_, he slipped his hands against Kaoru's back, smiling at the basket bottom.

_This one will be a father_.


	6. The Journey to Kyoto

So far, on their trip to Kyoto, Kenshin had been praised and treated to a free meal in two towns, and run out of one.

Kaoru considered that a victory.

She smiled at Kenshin across the table from her, her cheeks red with the exercise of walking from town to town. He tried to tell her they could take the train, but she told him they'd only take the train halfway. That she wanted to see the country as he had seen it years ago. He had started to frown and protest, saying she needed to think of the baby, but she pinned him with a glare.

"Exercise will be good for the baby, Kenshin. Megumi told me it encourages an easier delivery, and I am not so round that I have to be pushed about in a cart, thank you."

Now he was smiling back at her as they waited for the waitress to come so they could order dinner.

"Are you feeling alright, Kaoru?"

She laughed; pushing her sweat soaked bangs away from her forehead and nodded. She hadn't expected the hills to be quite this unforgiving in this region, but it was nothing that she couldn't manage. Kaoru was about to reply to him when a young woman knelt down with a pad of paper in her hand.

"Are you two ready to place your – Oh heaven and earth."

The couple blinked at the girl, who was staring at Kenshin with wide brown eyes. Her mouth had opened in a small 'o' before she broke into a grin that took up nearly half her face.

"It's _you_!" She squealed.

Kaoru glanced at Kenshin to see if there was any recognition in his face, but he looked just as surprised as Kaoru did. He blinked at the girl a few times before replying in an awkwardly questioning voice:

"Oro? It is…this one?"

The girl laughed loudly and clasped her hands together. "Oh you don't remember me! Of course you wouldn't! Hold on!"

She tugged the string that was holding back her dark hair and parted it with two handfuls, pulling the pigtails high on her head. She cleared her throat before raising her voice a few octaves to mimic the whimsy tones of a child.

"Samurai-san! You saved me!"

Suddenly, Kenshin's violet eyes grew brighter and wider with a dawning memory and he smiled with a small gasp.

"It is you!"

"It's me!" The girl laughed, putting her hair back down to pull it back into her low bun.

"You look much different now, that you do!" Kenshin laughed good-naturedly. "You have grown so much from when I last saw you!"

"Well, I was seven when you last saw me, that was eleven years ago!"

He laughed and raised his hand, gesturing to Kaoru so the young woman's attention would be placed on her.

"This is my wife, Kamiya Kaoru. We are travelling to Kyoto to see friends."

Kaoru bowed her head at her, and smiled when she bowed her head back.

"I'm Yamaguchi Nami," She smiled before clapping her hands together. "Oh you must let us pay for your meal tonight. My family runs this restaurant and inn, we would be happy to give you a room tonight. No cost at all."

"Oh we really couldn't impose like that," Kaoru's brows furrowed. The last thing she wanted to do was appear like they were freeloading wanderers. Not that this girl thought Kenshin was anything like that, since they apparently had met before.

"Nonsense!" Nami grinned, turning to look at the kitchen before shouting loudly, "Hey! Papa!"

Kenshin and Kaoru's mouths dropped when a very large man came out from behind the kitchen doorway, his small eyes glancing over the couple his daughter was speaking to._ He could be a sumo wrestler_, Kaoru thought.

"This is the samurai that saved me when I fell off the cliff, remember?" Nami held her hand towards Kenshin, who now had a very humble, worried look on his face. Kaoru held her hand over her mouth to hide her smile, but she couldn't hide it from her eyes. She knew Kenshin well enough by now to know what he was thinking. He was worried that this very friendly family would want to bestow very friendly thanks to him.

Almost like clockwork, the large man blinked at Kenshin, and then his mouth dropped in the same wide grin his daughter had. He bounded out from behind the counter, laughing, and Kenshin's worried expression greatened.

"It's YOU!"

"Oh no, really, there is no need for this one to have-ORO!"

Kaoru burst out laughing as the man picked Kenshin up by his arms and threw him up into the air before grabbing him in a tight hug, shaking him around next to the table. Kaoru couldn't see Kenshin's face behind the large shoulder, but she knew his eyes would be practically swirls from the way the oro's fell from his lips.

"You're the man that saved my little girl! Oh we can't appreciate you enough, Samurai-san! We never thought you'd return to our little village! Oh we're so glad to be of service to you! Please, anything we can do to help you, it's all on the house, and we can never repay you enough for saving Na-chan's life!"

Kenshin gave out a strained, gasping laugh, lifting a slightly red hand to pat the man's shoulder.

"That is very generous of you, Yamaguchi-san, that it is, but could you please be so kind as to put this one down? This one cannot breathe very well."

"Oh! Of course!"

Nami laughed as her father set Kenshin down, turning and introducing Kaoru to him. He was about to give her the same bone crushing hug, but Kaoru bowed and set a hand over her belly, politely explaining that she can't be moving about to quickly. The small family then saw her slightly large belly and their eyes glowed even more. Kaoru felt sweat dripping from her forehead as they began to insist that the Kamiyas stay with them for the night before continuing on their journey.

"I…" Kaoru caught Kenshin's eyes, and he sighed softly and gave a small shrug, smiling. "I suppose we can stay for tonight, sure."

This seemed to be the proper answer, and they ordered their food, which Yamaguchi-san was more than happy to begin making for them. Kaoru sat back down, curling her feet under her as she looked around the small inn. They were lucky that there weren't very many people in here, but the few people that were there began laughing and smiling when they looked at them.

When Nami walked away to help another table, Kaoru grinned at her husband.

"It appears, my dear, that we've come to another town that loves you."

Kenshin rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head. "No, this one just passed through here a very long time ago. This one did not even stay a day."

"Which is why," Nami's voice came from behind them, and she popped up over Kaoru's shoulder, holding a tray of tea. "We have to repay you now."

Kaoru smiled at her, taking her tea cup and setting it on the table.

"How did you and my husband meet, Yamaguchi-san?"

"Oh please, Nami-chan is fine," she smiled, "And we met because when I was a child I had a habit of playing in unsafe areas."

Kenshin laughed and shook his head, sipping his tea silently. Nami appeared to be a talker, and Kenshin was fine not telling this story. He couldn't help watching Kaoru though as she heard it, she always seemed to take great joy in hearing things he did while wandering. She watched Nami speak with enraptured eyes, and every so often she'd glance at him with a grin.

"It was eleven years ago," Nami said. "I was playing with one of my friends in this field that sloped off into a deep cliff. We were just running around, playing tag, picking flowers, you know all the things children do. When we were playing tag, I got too close to the cliff and lost my footing. I had fallen a short way before my hands grabbed one of the small shrubs that were growing on the cliff side about five feet down."

Kaoru gasped softly, even though she knew the story would end well. Kenshin smiled around his cup.

"My friend ran to try and find help, and who she brought back was this…weird, red-headed young guy with a sword at his hip." Nami gestured to Kenshin, laughing. "I had never seen him before, so I didn't know if we could trust him. He had a scar, and you know when you're a child and you see someone with visible scars, you think they must have gotten into a lot of fights and are a bad person."

Kenshin gave a kind look of understanding when her voice grew ashamed. You can't help the things you're taught as a child; it takes life experience to grow your own opinions and observations about people.

"But anyway," She cleared her throat. "He smiled at me, and told me to hold on, that he was going to reach down and he wanted me to grab his hand. I was too scared to, I knew I'd have to use both hands and I didn't want to fall. But something in his eyes…he was very kind, and told me to trust him, that he wouldn't let me fall. So I closed my eyes, and I reached, and I felt his fingertips, but my hand was too sweaty. I felt myself fall."

Kaoru unconsciously set her hand over her belly, brushing her fingers against the silk of her kimono. Kenshin noticed recently that when she heard stories of children in danger, her hand always seemed to migrate there. Her dark brows here furrowed and her lip was caught between her teeth, as it often is when she's worried. Kenshin reached across the table and took her hand. She glanced at him, and the crease between her brows faded, her thumb brushing against his fingers.

"It was like this…this _snap_." Nami used her hands when she spoke, blinking her fingers in front of Kaoru for emphasis. "I felt this arm coil around my middle, and then he ran, I _swear_, he _ran_ up the cliff, his hand holding the shrub branch, and he threw me over the top. Then he climbed up himself."

She sighed. "It was the most amazing and frightening thing I ever experienced. Then he just patted the dust off his clothes, took our hands, walked us home, and told my father to tell me to be careful when playing, and he was gone. Never saw him after that. Raggedy Samurai."

Kenshin laughed, his cheeks forming a light blush. "This one was not so raggedy back then."

"Eh, you were pretty raggedy."

"This one had just begun wandering; his clothes were still rather well."

Nami raised a brow and jutted her thumb to him, staring at Kaoru. "If this guy thinks the clothes he was wearing were 'rather well' then I am _so_ glad you're married to him to show him better options."

Kaoru laughed, patting Kenshin's hand when he pouted lightly, though his eyes held a smile in them. She was happy, truly happy, that he was sharing all these memories with her. There were some villages and towns that frowned and pushed their children inside when Kenshin walked through, and he explained to her later that it was because some battles happened there when he was still young and having the difficult transition from his past.

"The sakabatou does not kill, love," he had said as he helped her climb up a rather difficult hill. "But back then I did not know how much damage was too much yet, it took some time to know when to stop. I had to train myself to know when to leave it at a few broken bones."

He sounded sad when he said it, and confessed later that night that more than a few men were probably still unable to use some of their limbs from his learning days. She kissed his cheeks that night, when they settled in their room at the Yamaguchi's, and assured him that paralyzed limbs were a better option than death.

"Some might disagree with you on that matter," He took her hand, bringing it to his lips. "If I had no use of my limbs, then I would not be able to work to help bring an income to the family. I subjected some men to lives of poverty by giving wounds they could not heal from."

Kaoru brushed his hair gently with her fingertips, watching his eyelids grow heavier. "When I was a girl, I overheard my father saying the same thing to one of his students. But he still said that a determined man could make a life for himself, no matter what."

Kenshin smiled sleepily, his voice already far away when he replied. "Your father held many ideals that he could have taught me. I wish I could have known him."

Kaoru slipped her arms around his shoulders, touching her forehead to his, closing her eyes.

"I think he would've liked you."

The next morning, they set out for Kyoto early. Nami had packed them some dried noodles and onigiri for their trip.

"It's not much," she said, "but it will fill your bellies come lunch time before you hit Kyoto."

"I would go around the west of Mount Hiei, Kamiya-san." Yamaguchi instructed. He took Kenshin's hand in both of his, and shook it, smiling kindly. "There's said to be fewer bandits that might steal from you around that area."

"Thank you," Kenshin smiled, "For everything. We will be sure to stop by if we ever come this way again."

"Please do." Nami took her father's hand and smiled, waving them off. Kaoru got a few feet away before grabbing Kenshin's sleeve and turning to call back at them.

"Nami-chan! One of our friends is travelling too; we don't know where he is. But if you ever come across a tall guy with rooster-like hair and the symbol for bad on his jacket, that's our good friend Sanosuke! Tell him you know us, and he won't try to skip on your bill!"

"Sanosuke might skip on the bill, got it! Thanks Kamiya-san!"

Kenshin laughed as he took Kaoru's hand when they continued walking.

"You know he'll be very annoyed you did that if he comes here."

His wife grinned, sighing happily, swinging their hands. "If I can't make Sano's life hell, then what joy is left in the world?"

Along their walk, they'd often stop to take in the sights of different trees or animals. Kaoru once even held her hand out in front of him and knelt down, extending her hand out to get a deer not far away to come to her, but when she stepped on a twig it shot off into the deeper part of the woods. Kenshin laughed as she then hollered at it that she would've given it some of their lunch.

Travelling with Kaoru was much different than travelling alone. She would speak lively to him about the students at the dojo, and how she got a letter recently that said Yutaro was headed back to the country and wished to learn Kamiya Kasshin. She grinned with attitude and said that Yahiko would be ever so pleased to hear it. She asked him of his work at the carpenter's shop, and what his teacher had to say about him setting up his own business.

"He laughed," Kenshin blinked. "He laughed and said that some competitive business would be good for him, and make him work harder. I think I have a habit of picking masters that always want to best me."

Kaoru laughed. "Still, Kamiya Carpentry, that'd be a good business name, wouldn't it? Or Kenshin's Wood."

"Kaoru!"

"Oh come on!" She cackled, "Sano and Yahiko aren't here, someone has to make horrible jokes!"

"Heaven above, wife, you are going to make people think it is an entirely different business that we run."

Still, he laughed with her and helped her step over the next log that blocked their way. It wasn't until they hit the densest part of the woods that he began to have a nagging feeling that he had been here before. He paused and looked around to the tops of the trees. None of it looked familiar, and he didn't remember the green of the leaves or the healthy brown of the path they were on.

"Kenshin?"

"Oro?" He blinked and directed his gaze to her, shaking his head. "I simply…got the feeling I have been in these woods before."

"Oh? Is there another village up ahead?"

"I do not believe so, no."

"Did you get into a fight with a bear here, or something?"

"Kaoru," he laughed. "I do not believe that I could win in a fight against a bear."

"Why not? You've got a sword, plus the bears up north are rather small. Though, we're not up north, so I don't know what a bear would do here, but still."

Kenshin shook his head, sighing softly at her, grinning as they reached the plateau of the path they were on. Kaoru jogged a bit up ahead of him, and he heard her voice call back as he took his stride a bit behind her.

"Hey, there's a small shrine up here, it looks like."

His blood ran cold. He looked at the trees again, and down at the path around him, and then he blinked at his wife standing in front of the shrine, her dark hair trailing in the early summer breeze behind her. He had been here before, only in a very different season, and with a very different wife.

He blinked, and he saw snow coating the dead brown of the trees in his memory. His feet felt frozen and numb. His fingers burned with cold and the hard grip of his hand around a katana. Instead of seeing Kaoru's back, he saw Tomoe bloody on the ground.

"Kenshin…" Her soft red lips sighed out his name one last time as her breath escaped her, and the small light that her dark eyes held faded.

"Kenshin?"

He blinked again, and he saw deep blue eyes staring back at him. Kaoru had that crease between her brows again, and her jaw was set as she gazed at him. She was a few feet away, standing at exactly the same spot Tomoe laid.

The same age Tomoe was.

He took a great shaking breath, willing his hands to unclench and forcing his feet to move forward. This was a very different season, and a very different wife. Kaoru was as bright and lively as the spring was giving way to summer, her hand coming up to keep her hair out of her face as the wind picked up.

Kenshin stopped next to her, and lifted a hand to her cheeks. They were flushed again from the hike they had, her eyes bright and questioning. His thumb brushed over her chin, his eyes travelling over her shoulder to make sure her kimono was just tainted with dust, rather than with blood he caused to seep out from her small frame.

He blinked, and his hand dropped from her face as he looked at the shrine in front of them. Kaoru followed his gaze, and she looked at their surroundings before her eyes travelled back to her husband. She didn't know what this place was to him, but she was sure that it wasn't some place good to him.

Her hand closed in his, and she walked ahead.

"Come on," She smiled kindly. "We need to keep moving if we want to make it to the Aoiya by dinner. We can stop at Hiko-san's and eat a late lunch if we keep moving."

In that moment, Kenshin was grateful for her. Kaoru seemed to know the proper time to ask questions and the proper time to leave things alone. It wasn't that he wouldn't tell her later, it was simply that opening too much of that memory in that particular place would leave him immobile for the rest of the day. He would be distant with her, and he didn't want that.

He fell into stride next to her, and brushed his fingers over her belly, over his child, with a small smile as he began to lead the way again.

There was a time for answers, but it wasn't now.


	7. Comforts of Home

Kenshin steeled himself as he walked up the path to his old master's house. His hand was starting to get sweaty in Kaoru's, and he was really hoping she didn't notice it. It wasn't that he didn't like Hiko, not at all. The man was the only father he had ever known. It was just that when he came back here; to this small cottage in the woods, he acted different.

He was instantly fourteen all over again.

Kaoru squeezed his hand as the sound of an axe slicing through wood hit their ears. The roof of the cabin came into sight, and as they crossed the hill, it rose like the sun in the east. Hiko lifted another log onto the stump and raised the axe over his head, slicing through without even splintering it.

Kenshin squared his shoulders. He loved Hiko, to an extent. He really did. The man really was a father to him. It was simply that, like any other father, Hiko had a habit of –

"What the hell do you want, you idiot student?"

…Embarrassing him.

"Deep breath and count to ten." Kaoru muttered under her breath.

Kenshin took a breath and sighed, a smile forming on his face. "Shishou! Kaoru-dono and I were headed to the Aoiya for a few days, so we thought we would stop by, that we did."

Hiko stood up, towering over the two, and Kaoru was nearly swallowed by his shadow. The man really was a brick.

"Just a friendly visit, then?" He raised a brow. "You don't need me to save anyone from misunderstood giants?"

Kenshin laughed lightly, brushing his fingers along his temple to catch some sweat that dripped down.

"No, Shishou, actually Kaoru and I have some good news that we wanted to share."

"You're getting married."

Kaoru laughed awkwardly, "Erm…no, Hiko-san, we're already married. We have been for a few months now."

Hiko swung the axe, embedding it in the stump before he walked over to the bucket of water, shoving his hands in and dampening his face.

"I know," He grunted behind his palms, "that was my pointedly passive aggressive way of saying you didn't invite me."

Kenshin's hands clenched at his sides. This is exactly what he knew would happen. Hiko wasn't actually angry or hurt at them; he simply wanted to get a rise out of Kenshin. He could tell by the man's posture. If he was genuinely hurt, he would've already knocked Kenshin out. He always does this. He always runs his mouth just to frustrate him. This is one of the reasons why he left in the first place. God, if he could just be civil for five minutes, it would make things so much easier.

"It's working." Kaoru muttered to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Count to ten."

Her husband sighed and shook his head, letting his smile fall into place.

"It was a small thing, Shishou, it was not even a ceremony and many friends were not present. Big shows are not this one's style, and Kaoru-dono understands that."

"Yes," Kaoru cleared her throat, stepping forward. "Actually, what we've come to say is that we're going to have a baby."

Hiko paused and turned halfway. His eyes went to Kaoru's belly, and she set her hand over the growing bump. He looked at Kenshin, and then back at Kaoru, and then back at the bump. Suddenly, he burst into laughter, an easy smile forming on his face that made lines appear next to his eyes. He walked over to Kenshin, and for a moment, just a moment, Kenshin started to think that he might hug him. Finally, an embrace from his master that didn't end with him sore on the dirt from getting the crap kicked out of him.

A large hand clapped Kenshin roughly on the shoulder, forcing the smaller man to double over.

"Well it's about time!" Hiko laughed. "I was beginning to think that all those talks I had with you amounted to nothing and you didn't know where to put it!"

Kenshin scowled, his face hot as he glared. "I know where to – "

"Fourteen." Kaoru sing-songed to him softly. He sighed, clenching his hands.

"Shishou, will you please, for once, be pleasant and not…foul…about this news?"

Hiko glared at him. "I have every reason to be foul to you, you idiot." He put his hand around Kaoru's back, taking her hand and beginning to guide her into the house. "You make your pregnant wife walk up this terrible way. What a wonderful father you'll make; already straining your child."

"She wanted to walk!" It was already said before Kenshin realized his voice cracked in the exclamation.

Kaoru put her hand against Hiko's, smiling kindly. "It's very thoughtful for you to be concerned about my health and the health of my child, I did insist upon walking here. Exercise is good for me and the baby."

Her fingers curled around his little finger, pulling back slightly, though the smile remained in her eyes. Every word she spoke had her pulling his finger back harder and harder against his hand.

"It would be fruitful for you to be pleasant about this news, and not use the information to try to rile my husband. If I see you attempting to make clever puns that will have him questioning his capabilities as a parent when he already has self-esteem issues, I will be very unhappy, and believe me Hiko-san, you do not wish to see me unhappy, now do you?"

Hiko smiled back at her pleasantly, though his hand was turning red and his teeth bit down on the inside of his cheek. He nodded at her, huffing out a laugh as she let go of his hand.

"Of course, Kaoru-san, for you, I will be quite pleasant. Please, come inside and I can start you some tea."

"Well that would be quite lovely, Hiko san, as it happens we brought some food with us to share."

Kaoru walked inside, humming to herself as the two men watched her go. Kenshin slowly walked up next to his master, trying very hard to clamp down the fourteen year old side of himself that wanted to kiss Kaoru silly for that little display. He had never seen anyone tame Hiko Seijuro, and it made him giddy to see.

"You married a frightening woman, idiot."

Kenshin laughed softly, careful not to let his pleasure show. "She has her moments, but she is a gentle soul."

"She clearly has you castrated, and carries the bit around in her handbag."

The smile remained on Kenshin's face. "Your hand looks awfully red, Shishou, I do hope my Kaoru did not injure you too greatly."

Hiko grunted, and glanced at the axe in the stump. "Finish getting the firewood and bring it inside."

"Yes, Shishou."

Honestly, Hiko was happy that Kenshin got such a stubborn wife. It was what his idiot student needed. He couldn't have a soft woman, not when he was trying to find a soft life himself. He needed someone that could remind him that some things in life, even a dull life, need fire.

Kaoru smiled at him as he came through the door, and she heard Kenshin chopping more wood outside. Hiko set the kettle on the burner, and smiled at her. He always had liked this girl, and he didn't give his good graces to just anyone. Kamiya Kaoru had something about her that made people like her though. Even people that didn't give their admiration easily.

"Are you Himura Kaoru now?" He asked, watching Kenshin out the window.

Kaoru smiled, laughing softly. "No. He's Kamiya Kenshin."

Hiko leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest as he glanced at her. She was a pretty girl too, though Kenshin did have a habit of picking pretty girls. He smiled at Kaoru, watching her blue eyes grin back at him with no hidden pain or devastating hardships. This was good. Kenshin needed this.

"I'm glad he took your name."

"You are?" Kaoru blinked. "Didn't you give him the name Himura?"

He shook his head, scratching his jaw. "The Ishin Shishi gave him the name Himura. I simply gave him Kenshin. Himura Battousai; the hitokiri. I always rather resented them for it. The fact that he has a new last name to put that past to rest is good."

Kaoru shook her head, laughing soft. "He said the same thing."

She watched him for a few moments, her eyes falling over his frame. Kenshin and this man looked nothing alike, and yet she could see her husband in the way that he stood. They crossed their arms the same way, and when they were thinking their gaze went to the right. She laughed softly as she looked around the room.

"This explains it."

Hiko tilted his head. "Explains what?"

"Well," She stood, walking to the counter. "Kenshin has complete control over our kitchen at home. I'm not a very good cook, and he is. So he arranges the kitchen however he wants."

Kaoru reached up, pulling a tea cup with a sakura design off the shelf. She smiled at it, letting her fingertips travel over the painted blossoms.

"He puts the tea cups on the shelf to the right of the counter. The cooking ware goes under the counter and the plates and bowls in the cupboard to the left."

As she explained, she went around Hiko's very small kitchen area, gesturing to the places he held cupboards and plates and pots and pans. It was the exact layout of their cooking area at the dojo. She leaned next to him on the counter, her arms loosely crossing over her chest.

"You may not realize it, and he certainly doesn't, but he has more of you in him than you'd think. We arrange things in our homes in way that comfort us. Before Kenshin and I shared a room, my bedroom was the same layout that my mother's was. Kenshin has the kitchen set up just as yours is."

Hiko laughed softly, and he glanced at Kenshin before looking back at her. He pat her shoulder lightly, moving to the kettle that sat over the fire pit.

"Bring that cup here, would you?"

Kaoru smiled and grabbed the sakura cup off the counter where she left it, and handed it to Hiko as she sat across from him.

"It makes me happy, though I hope you never tell him that," He poured the tea into her cup. "The fact that he finds some of this place a comfort means that I didn't screw him up a lot."

She shook her head. "He thinks of you as a father."

"I wasn't a very good one, then. Letting him wander off to ruin his life at fourteen."

Kaoru frowned, staring into her tea. "He needed it, I think."

"Do you?"

"Kenshin, to my understanding, had a very…naïve view of the world." She caught his eye, and smiled kindly, blushing slightly. "I don't pretend that I'm a wise woman, but I am older now. Kenshin would never have learned things about life that he did if he didn't make the mistakes that he did. He was foolish, but who isn't at fourteen? Mistakes are how we grow, we learn from them to become the people we are today. Some mistakes are huge, and Kenshin had some rather large ones, but if he didn't make them…he wouldn't be my Kenshin now."

Hiko watched her speak, and the corners of his mouth lifted up, causing a dimple to appear on his right cheek. She believed herself to be unwise, but she didn't understand the wisdom in her faith and innocence.

"So you believe that mistakes are good?"

"I believe that someone who never makes an error in their life is a very boring person, and I hope never to meet them."

"Yes well, not all people can be as perfect as me."

Kaoru laughed, and Hiko felt the room get a bit warmer. He understood why his idiot student had picked this girl.

"I am glad to have you as a sort of daughter, Kaoru-san."

Her mouth dropped, and she blinked at him in surprise as Kenshin came through the door, firewood gathered in his arms. He saw Kaoru's shocked face, and Hiko's smug grin, and he blinked a few times.

"Did this one interrupt something?"

"I was just telling your wife the story of how you got ill when you were twelve, and spent all week out back crouching in the woods, and you used poison ivy on your ass to wipe yourself."

"SHISHOU HONESTLY WHAT THE HELL DID I EVER DO TO DESERVE ALL THESE STORIES YOU TELL?!"


End file.
